Episode 246
Episode #246 is the first episode of the twentieth season, and 241st episode overall, of the MentalCast. It was recorded on January 1, 2013 from New Paris, OH. The episode was hosted by Michael Riley and featured regular cast members Alex Jowski, Dustin Kidd and Iason Skullsaber as well as recurring cast member Brody Brennick. 'Top 5 Mental News Stories of the Week' * #5: Toy footballs now have to be stamped with a warning that they are a choking hazard for the under-threes, despite the balls being bigger than an adult’s head. * #4: A Lakewood dad had to make a return the day after Christmas because the gift literally traumatized his family. * #3: In 1989, a brand new Chevrolet Corvette was stolen from a dealership in San Diego. Over two decades later, the thief came clean. * #2: A Florida woman is jailed on a battery rap for allegedly striking her boyfriend after he “finished first and stopped pleasuring her” during a mutual oral sex session late last night in the victim’s home, police report. * #1: Two men dressed as Oompa Loompas from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are being sought by police in connection with an assault in Norwich. 'News' 'Music' * NME reports that Bono has called Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' the "most perfect song in the world". * Drake is calling out Walgreens' and Macy's for selling items with "YOLO" printed on them. * Billboard reports that REM's "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" had a huge increase in sales and airplay last week thanks to 12/21/12, the Mayan-predicted date for the end of the world. * YouTube has stripped away billions of views on music videos that they say are faked. 'Film & Television' * New theatrical releases this week include Texas Chainsaw 3D. * TENDeep: Top Ten Movie/TV Ghosts ** #10: Beetlejuice from "Beetlejuice" ** #9: Thelma Bates from "Hex" ** #8: Kane from "Poltergeist 2" ** #7: Samara from "The Ring" ** #6: Dennis from "Angel" ** #5: Delbert Grady from "The Shining" ** #4: Dr. Malcolm Crowe from "The Sixth Sense" ** #3: Annie from "Being Human" ** #2: Jacob Marley from "A Christmas Carol" ** #1: The pirates from "The Fog" * 8-Ball: Top 8 Network TV Shows of 2012 ** Honorable Mention: Revenge (ABC) ** Honorable Mention: How I Met Your Mother (CBS) ** Honorable Mention: Awake (NBC) ** #8: Go On (NBC) ** #7: Arrow (The CW) ** #6: Castle (ABC) ** #5: Nikita (The CW) ** #4: Modern Family (ABC) ** #3: Elementary (CBS) ** #2: Supernatural (The CW) ** #1: Community (NBC) * 8-Ball: Top 8 Most Anticipated Films of 2013 ** Honorable Mention: Machete Kills ** Honorable Mention: The Wolverine ** Honorable Mention: Riddick ** #8: Pacific Rim ** #7: Kick-Ass 2 ** #6: Anchorman: The Legend Continues ** #5: Thor: The Dark World ** #4: Star Trek Into Darkness ** #3: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For ** #2: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ** #1: Iron Man 3 * The Associated Press reports that actor Jack Klugman died on Monday, December 24 at the age of 90. * TMZ reports that Disney has settled a lawsuit with a woman who claims an employee slapped her butt during a TV show taping. * Torrent Freak reports that Project X was the most pirated film of 2012 with almost nine million downloads. * The decision of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to expand to online voting this year has caused some problems for people who signed up for it. * Skyfall has crossed the prestigious $1 billion mark in worldwide grosses. * Movieline reports that the Christian Slater-starring horror film Playback is the lowest-grossing film of 2012, as it only earned $264.00 in theaters. 'Video Games' * New video game releases this week include Retro City Rampage (XBLA) and Unchained Blades (3DS). * 8-Ball: Top 8 Metroidvania Games ** #8: Darksiders 1 & 2 ** #7: Tomba! ** #6: Psychonauts ** #5: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ** #4: Super Metroid ** #3: Shadow Complex ** #2: Okami ** #1: CastleVania: Symphony of the Night * In a warehouse heist last weekend near Washington's SeaTac airport, thieves stole 7,000 Wii U consoles, estimated at a value of $2.1 million. * Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft is reportedly one of the top candidates interested in purchasing THQ's assets, following the company's bankruptcy filing this week. * This year's Tomb Raider reboot will not be a single-player-only affair. 'Trivia' * This is Brody Brennick's first appearance since the third part of the Hurricane Sandy benefit. * This is Dustin Kidd's first non-compilation episode since episode #235. * This is Iason Skullsaber's first episode as a regular cast member. 'Links' * Episode page on Mental TV Network * MP3 download * Ogg Vorbis download * Torrent download Category:2013 episodes Category:Season premieres Category:Episodes with Michael Riley Category:Episodes with Alex Jowski Category:Episodes with Dustin Kidd Category:Episodes with Iason Skullsaber Category:Episodes with Brody Brennick Category:Season 20